Personal experience-best car in snow?

scooby77

With all the talk of forthcoming snow thought I'd start a thread about personal experience of cars which proved their worth for Boardsies in past snow events. Yes a quick Google will show tales of 4x4 pandas/small suzuki's being unstoppable in alpine snow, but what about here?
In that rough 2010 period I commuted 3/4 days a week rural sligo to rural Kildare. 6am starts. Had an 06 2.0 tdci focus zetec, running normal kumhos (albeit fairly new), which proved unflabbable! The heavy engine, great torque (maybe?) and ESC provided amazing grip.
At times icicles hung off the wing mirror, but the heated windcreen remained clear as day.
I didn't miss a day, or was never late!
(BTW was great reliable fun car, one of few I miss!)
So what proved trustworthy for you?

JohnBoy26

I think you need look no further than your username

selectamatic

1998 e11 liftback corolla with all weather tyres did the bulk of the work here during those winters and never missed a step. The newer cars in the family all had electric steering and felt twitchy on the snow/ice.

scooby77

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I think you need look no further than your username

Actually relevant- got nickname 20 years ago playing early morning gaa match hungover (or still drunk)...wit on sideline commented legs were moving but going nowhere. ..just like Scooby Doo bit like driving some cars in snow

Alanstrainor

I was driving my 2003 1.4 auto VW Polo in the great snow of 2010. It was a mountain goat of a thing, I remember making my way from town to Rathfarnham and making it up a huge hill that a land cruiser had failed to climb. I guess being a light car with the weight over the drive wheels is what meant it worked well. There's also a chance the land cruiser had bald tyres or the driver was a dope...

Tzardine

Original Fiat Panda 4x4. Will put pretty much everything to shame.

Zoo4m8

Beetle (ye olde one)with m&s tyres..untouchable

barney 20v

Any Subaru or the Suzuki vitara are a good yoke also

appledrop

I remember in the great snow of 2010 my little fiesta did a great job. Now don't get me wrong a slightly bigger car would have been better but remember we were all stopped for 2 hours on m50 + my little fiesta managed to got up the off ramp at blancharstown while I had just watched all the fancy BMW., Mercedes etc roll back down!

barney 20v

appledrop wrote: »

I remember in the great snow of 2010 my little fiesta did a great job. Now don't get me wrong a slightly bigger car would have been better but remember we were all stopped for 2 hours on m50 + my little fiesta managed to got up the off ramp at blancharstown while I had just watched all the fancy BMW., Mercedes etc roll back down!

Engine directly over the driven wheels is what got you out

scooby77

Zoo4m8 wrote: »

Beetle (ye olde one)with m&s tyres..untouchable

Father says similar. ..we lived on height and he had one in 70s. Reckons would leave modern 4x4 in its wake on same roads.
Light cars seem to do the trick!

slavetothegrind

berlingo van 2005. got me home whilst the rear wheelers were spinning! 5 hours from donnybrook to enfield as i recall leaving at 6pm...was a brutal night of snow and ice .

White Clover

Rwd twincam with 6 bags of nuts in the boot. Did the job and could play too!

jca

02 fwd transit van with cheapo winter tyres, that fecker went everywhere not a bother on it.

deandean

It's all down to the tires. I had a 5 series BMW with proper winter tyres on and it would go anywhere. Great fun too, with the rear wheel drive. But the same car with summer tyres on an icy road, is murder.

whoopsadoodles

Volvo S60.....automatic!

Not a single issue with it in 2010.

Wildly Boaring

Legacy Auto petrol..... had in 2010. Unflappable.

Wibbs

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I was driving my 2003 1.4 auto VW Polo in the great snow of 2010. It was a mountain goat of a thing, I remember making my way from town to Rathfarnham and making it up a huge hill that a land cruiser had failed to climb. I guess being a light car with the weight over the drive wheels is what meant it worked well. There's also a chance the land cruiser had bald tyres or the driver was a dope...

Given I'm from the 'Nam myself AS I think I know which hill you speak of and I had a similar experience that time too. An elderly rellie of a mate of mine was confined to her home and because I was closer to her I was asked to see if I could get to her with supplies and such. And get to her I did, after raising the coilovers to tippytoe(and breaking knuckles in the process), even though I was pooing myself setting out at the thought of it. She lived beyond the (local reference)Blue Light pub and boy was it "fun". Though on the way back coming across a Garda in a 4X4 who asked; "how the fcuk did you get up here in that?" was a highlight(he even snapped pics on his phone). My response was "nervously" and cheekily "why Guard, do you need a tow?". He was a sound lad and played along by replying "feck off" and suggesting that if I was done for speeding on the way home no judge in the land would convict on the principle of fair play you mad bastard. :pac: I did not test his suggestion as I was still pooing myself all the way home, but man, lift off oversteer in the snow on a deserted road is bloody great craic*.

jca wrote:

02 fwd transit van with cheapo winter tyres, that fecker went everywhere not a bother on it.

Of course it did JC, it's a Ford Transit. The van. Accept no substitutes. In a recent "what would you buy with a lotto win", I left out (#shame) The Ford Transit as a must have. But it would be. Great road holding and handling and torque and a superior view of the road ahead and the capacity to move whatever stuff you need to move. A no brainer really. A good mate of mine has one and he has and has had some gnarly cars of various, mostly mad bastid types, but in the Transit, you sit there feeling all is right with the world and get the hell outa my way, I'm doing important work dammit.


*in snow I have personally found(nowhere near a pro or valid opinion) that fresh snow is the mutts nuts and is far easier to drive than more driven roads, where more ice and slush can be a problem.

circadian

Wasn't old enough to drive it but me da's Escort Cossie was something to behold in the snow covered hills of the north west.

LowOdour

Opposite to the question asked, but I'm bored!
In 2010, the wife got in tip when she lost control of the car (2004 Mazda). Insurance covered a hire out for her.
But because they had to give out so many cars during that period, all the could give her was a 2010 Mercedes C-class,but it was me that had to drive it.
I was nervous enough driving in the bad conditions in my ****tty Astra, let alone driving a car worth 40k+, and was rear wheel drive, so not great for icy conditions.
Was very nervous driving it, but have a great video of my aul fella taking it for a "spin" on our rural roads covered in snow. It's pretty much me screaming at him to slow down!

CiniO

Every car will be good on snow, if fitted with proper winter tyres.

For extreme conditions like very deep snow or pure ice, 4x4 will help. In worst case chains on your wheels.

SEPT 23 1989

An empty lwb transit or a beemer

Irish Steve

Over a long period of time, and not necessarily in Ireland, 3 vehicles stand out.

The first was a Triumph 2500 PI, fuel injected rear wheel drive, and it used to carry quite a few computer spare parts, so the back end was anchored, but in snow, it was invincible.

A few years later, I had a 1.8 Cavalier, the front wheel drive type, and was working in central Dublin at the time. We had a call from a colleague's father at about 4pm to say that if we wanted to get home that evening, leave NOW. As we left, it was raining in Fitzwilliam Square. By the time I got to the Quays, it was snowing, by Phibsboro there was about 2" on the ground, and by the time I got back to Ashbourne, it was close on 6", which fell in the space of about 2 hours.

Finglas was "interesting", it was before the bypass and M50 was built, and in those days, there was a little nap (rise) on the road where the Lidl roundabout is now, and a unladen Artic tried to turn right out of that junction, and nearly closed the road completely, it took him a LONG time to get 20 metres.

The serious snows of 2010 were no challenge to the vehicle I had at the time (still do), an Isuzu Crew cab pick up, which got stuck into 4 wheel drive when necessary, and went anywhere I needed, including up around the high ground at the back of Tallaght, and over the hills by the Naul, it didn't matter what the surface conditions were, it just went where it was pointed. Good tyres helped (B F Goodrich), they seem to cope very well with any conditions and temperature, and they also seem to be able to last regardless of how they are treated.

It's going to be interesting to see what this winter throws at us.

ednwireland

My. Skoda or previously primera in 2010 with winter tyres
Just been told I would struggle up someone's icy drive didn't even slip the 2 miles up icy snowy hills home with people sliding all over the place no bother.
Remember been in Munich and everyone driving up to ski resorts in beemers with winter tyres no bother.

Munjo

Had a forrester in 2010 absolutely brilliant in the snow. The old man had a Renault 4l back in the day and we ferried people and supplies up and down our lane when the snow hit. It was unstoppable, Danny DeVito in romancing the stone.

The Bishop Basher

A 00 E240 Auto on chinese triangle tyres. Those tyres were lethal in any kind of wet but they could handle the snow like a boss..

Alanstrainor

CiniO wrote: »

Every car will be good on snow, if fitted with proper winter tyres.

For extreme conditions like very deep snow or pure ice, 4x4 will help. In worst case chains on your wheels.

That's cheating tho...

everlast75

My mate had a 2010 merc c class and one year, in our local town, it was parked and had to be pushed out of any spaces where the road dipped.
His face was something to behold when he saw a Nissan Micra making short work of the snow and it made his decision to get rid of the car 6 months later

dudara

I had my old E46 318 in 2010 and got around just fine in it. One slightly hairy moment when I came across a stretch of really compacted ice, but for the rest of it, I got around everywhere. Steady driving technique and good tyres are most of the battle

freddieot

Had a Kia Sorento (old one) in 2010 with standard tyres. It went anywhere, no fuss and no drama. At work they only cleared the snow from half the carpark. Low ratio gears meant the other half became mine

Neilw

The last bad snow my dad had a Subaru Forester, it was excellent. Nothing it couldn't handle, proper full time 4wd and a manual box.

Rumple Stillson

I had a 2.0 petrol Impreza during the winter of 2010. It was excellent, drove up the Slieve Blooms with it too and handled everything easily.

Enjoyed sailing in to work past the stream of twitchy BMW's. Don't think anything beats the AWD system in Subaru's. Pity they can't make a decent car now tho.

StereoSound

I had 4WD jap import 1993 Mazda Familia hatchback back in 2004.... It was full time 4WD with a diff lock beside the handbrake. Awesome in the snow! Never got stuck with it once and the diff lock was great once when I drove through a wet field taking a short cut somewhere out in he back arse of Mayo. What a great little car and hope its still on the road somewhere.

JamesM

scanlone wrote: »

Legacy Auto petrol..... had in 2010. Unflappable.

Had the same in 2010. It could, and did, go anywhere. For work I had to drive into housing estates where there might be one track down the middle of the road. I could pull right into the kerb and get out again with no problem. On the frozen roads the Mercs and BMWs got in the way
Jim.

biko

I used to have a Forester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSG-pF1LXHI

Sofiztikated

I had my 1.4 '03 Focus in 2010, and it grand in the snow. I remember I used to live in an estate, that had a flat drive, with a 90 left, that immediately turned into a steep(ish) slope and I lived half way up. Watched one of the neighbours struggle to get anywhere in their Tuscon, and started sliding down and to the right. While they got out and walked, I passed them out and continued on and into my drive, giving the handbrake a little touch to straighten up. They were mortified.

One of the neighbours was a tit, and parked at the bottom, just on the outside of the turn. Slid into him on the way down, breaking a light. 4 cars later, she decided to move it.

fancy pigeon

I had an E39 in 2014, snow in February. Had to go up a very iced and snowed Sally gap at night.

Did it make it? You bet it did. Not a bother to it with 2 passengers

In the bad winter of 2010 I had a Punto sporting, lowered to the ground and obscenely large wheels. Never got stuck on my daily commute to college, mostly backroads from the arsehole of Meath to St Stephens green.

I guess I tend to drive quite inappropriately unsuitable cars in bad weather :P

RayM

My Suzuki Jimny is amazing in snow and ice. Even on normal tyres, it can cross a snow-covered Sally Gap effortlessly.

Not so good when you hit a patch of black ice in rear-wheel-drive mode though, as I learned to my cost yesterday.

_Kaiser_

In the winter of 2010 I still had a B6 FWD Passat and it was grand. Saw lots of BMWs and Mercs stranded alright but for most cars it's more about ability and decent tyres really.

OldMrBrennan83

This post has been deleted.

markc1184

I miss having my Subaru on the road in winter weather. The last really bad snow we got I had to drive from Maynooth to Drogheda after exams and absolutely nothing troubled it.

Jakey Rolling

Drove my 4x4 Skoda Octavia for a few winters in the Highlands of Scotland. With winter tyres and appropriate gearing it was rock solid.

Had a company BMW 318 while living in Switzerland, even with snow tires it fishtailed up the local hills. Ended up putting sand bags in the boot to get better traction. Had to use the snow chains quite a few times to get home.

FWIW, I don't know of any winter tyres that give better grip on Ice as some people seem to think. Only thing that will help there is studded tires.

Mycroft H

RayM wrote: »

My Suzuki Jimny is amazing in snow and ice. Even on normal tyres, it can cross a snow-covered Sally Gap effortlessly.

Not so good when you hit a patch of black ice in rear-wheel-drive mode though, as I learned to my cost yesterday.

I'd one, I do miss them. Excellent little jeep. They were tail happy though in RWD especially on wet roundabouts.

Different story in 4WD though, very capable little jeep.

RayM

Mycroft H wrote: »

I'd one, I do miss them. Excellent little jeep. They were tail happy though in RWD especially on wet roundabouts.

Different story in 4WD though, very capable little jeep.

In a way, its slowness is a blessing because if it had any amount of power it'd be a death trap on a wet road in RWD. Despite its limitations, it's the best and most reliable car I've ever owned. I'm just hoping there isn't too much hidden damage underneath because I'd hate to part with it.

NBar

ep70 toyota starlet, had one for last big dusting and was the best ever go anywhere

Darwin

Had a Subaru Impreza diesel in 2010, it was ok in the snow but as has been said already, proper winter tyres make all the difference. I was in Trondheim Norway when it was -20c, and our driver had studded winter tyres fitted (think it was a Citroen c4) and you may as well have been driving on a dry road in summertime!

Cee-Jay-Cee

I had a Subaru Legacy (2.0i petrol) and it was unstoppable in snow. I had Continental winter tyres on the front and there was virtually no where it couldn’t go in snow, even deep snow which hadn’t been driven on.

corsav6

Swanner wrote: »

A 00 E240 Auto on chinese triangle tyres. Those tyres were lethal in any kind of wet but they could handle the snow like a boss..

Had 2 if them tyres on a 98 1.6l astra back in 2010. I was shocked at how much grip I had in the snow considering how useless they were in any other situation. Definitely made for snow only.

Zoo4m8

jca wrote: »

02 fwd transit van with cheapo winter tyres, that fecker went everywhere not a bother on it.

My 131 fwd transit is absolute rubbish, must get around to getting decent winter tyres for it..
Had a Landcruiser during the winter of 2010 got really cocky driving round others slipping and sliding till I was leaving a house with closed electric gates one evening and left the braking as normal but this time the abs didn’t safe me , embarrassing and expensive...

reubenreuben

Saab 900 pretty good

Any car with winter tyres IMO.
Drove a few rentals last year in winter on mainland Europe in snow. Couldn't believe how much traction was on offer TBH.